Weather interferes with wildfire containment

3:03 PM,
Nov. 18, 2013

Lynn Willis/Special to the Citizen-Times
This photo taken late Wednesday by Lynn Willis, of www.lynnwillis.com, shows the Table Rock fire from the Rock Jock Trail on the western rim of the Linville Gorge. 11/13/13

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U.S. Forest Service officials say it may be Friday before a massive wildfire in Linville Gorge is contained.

Rain over the weekend helped slow the week-old blaze in Pisgah National Forest north of Morganton in Burke County, but it still engulfed 2,275 acres today, Forest Service spokeswoman Deborah Walker said. Strong winds today and dry conditions predicted through Thursday will make bringing the fire under control more difficult, she said.

"We got about a half an inch in the gorge (Sunday)," Walker said. "That's not a tremendous amount, but it did help. The unfortunate part is we're going ...